


The Tinkerer Prince

by EzraTheBlue



Series: Upgrades [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Alternate Universe - War Went Differently, Child Noctis Lucis Caelum, Chronic Pain, Gen, Good Parent Regis Lucis Caelum, Uncle Ardyn Izunia, character in a wheelchair, injury mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26278102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EzraTheBlue/pseuds/EzraTheBlue
Summary: Noctis leads a lonely life in the quiet halls of the Citadel, surrounded by the robots and androids on the staff and left alone with his thoughts and his personal attendant. However, a visit from his best and only human friend brings with it an opportunity.
Relationships: Ardyn Izunia & Noctis Lucis Caelum, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret & Noctis Lucis Caelum, Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum
Series: Upgrades [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1909282
Comments: 5
Kudos: 39





	The Tinkerer Prince

**Author's Note:**

> I've been picking away at this fic for a while, and was trying to get it done in time for Noct's birthday. Better late than never though!!
> 
> This is a prequel to "Upgrades," and I hope to explore this AU a little more soon! 
> 
> Special thanks to [crazyloststar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazyloststar/) for beta reading! I touched it last so any remaining errors are my own.

**The Tinkerer Prince**

Noctis groaned into his pillow at the sound of his alarm. He lifted his face out of the pillow and put his palm over the light shining onto him from his bedside table. 

“Time to get up, Highness,” a monotonous voice intoned, and Noctis grunted with disgust at the rude awakening as he blinked his eyes open. The U5 unit on his bedside table, a ‘bot about the size and shape of a small, thick book, didn’t dim its row of bright yellow indicator lights or show any signs of letting him sleep in.

Noctis stared at the unit; specifically, at the large lens on the front that acted as a camera and sensor. It made another urgent beeping noise. 

“Come on, Gladio.” Noctis pawed the lens, but Gladio blinked at him, showing the time on his front display screen again.

“This unit has been explicitly instructed to ensure you awaken on time, as you have physiotherapy in an hour and must bathe and dress, and your father would like to see you for breakfast in twenty minutes.” Gladio insisted. Noctis grumbled and rolled over again, putting the pillow over his face.

“Ten more minutes. I don’t smell that bad.”

Gladio responded flatly: “Bathing is not optional, as you are thirteen and experiencing puberty, resulting in additional body odor.”

Noctis gripped the pillow tighter over his face. “Then I just won’t sweat today.”

Gladio’s vocal unit went silent, in what would be an ominous pause or an exasperated sigh from a human. Then, “If you do not comply, this unit will contact the CL-4R-U5 unit assigned to your father.”

Noctis sighed as loud as he could as he stomped out of bed and to his feet. “Fine, fine, I’m waking up, I’m - ow.” He gasped and slouched as his back muscles all cramped at once. The GL4D10-U5 unit turned on its hover function and levitated off the bedside table, its lens taking in his bare back.

“Your prosthesis needs adjustment. You have surgery scheduled in six days. Do you need your chair, Highness?”

Noctis winced. “Thank you, Captain Obvious. No, no chair.”

Gladio went silent for a moment, then said, “This unit has been programmed to identify as ‘Gladio.’ Would you prefer to identify me as ‘Captain Obvious?’”

“No!” Noctis grumbled and shuffled towards his en-suite. “It’s fine, Gladio. And please, call me Noctis.”

“Acknowledged.” Gladio hovered beside Noctis as he went into the bathroom.

GL4D10-U5 was Noctis’ personal assistant unit, and Noctis was still getting used to it. He used to have a CL-4R-U5 unit, but King Regis had thought the CL-4R unit was too "adult," and his unit was worn out as it was. The GL4D10 unit was meant more for casual use than stricter schedule-keeping. CL-4R units were no-nonsense. GL4D10 could keep a schedule, but was programmed to actually reason with Noctis before calling in reinforcements or doling out punishments. Noctis hadn’t especially liked his old CL-4R, but the fact the GL4D10 actually responded to him was strange.

Strange in a good way. It felt a little more like talking to a person. Noctis spent most of his time with the automaton staff, so he was very used to how to interact with them. Talking to the robots was, in some ways, easier than talking to most humans.

He just didn’t like being ordered around by the robots, or anyone.

Noctis staggered out of the shower, gingerly stepping into his clothes, and when he looked up, Gladio had brought his wheelchair over. Noctis grimaced to look at it, the wheels somehow bigger than ever even as he’d grown; the custom cradle for a Gladio-sized U5 unit to fit in was newly attached. “Your father,” Gladio said in his matter-of-fact, neutral tones, “has asked that you use the chair for long distances today.”

“Come _on_ , Dad!” Noctis threw his head back, but Gladio hovered into its cradle on the back of the chair, indicator lights turning blue as it connected to the chair’s controls.

“It’s for the best, Prince Noctis.” Despite his vocals being mostly toneless, Noctis thought he imagined a little pity. He hated that, too.

“You can call me Noct, you know.” 

Gladio didn’t respond to that one. Probably didn’t compute. Noctis tried to chalk it up to him being stubborn. 

Gladio steered his chair down the halls past the more humanoid automatons sweeping and mopping the Citadel floors. Noctis greeted the ones who responded to more casual vocal interactions:

“Good morning, 79-YF.” Noctis waved to a ‘bot who was repairing an automatic door. The bot’s ocular lens, mounted to a sturdy trapezoid frame on wheels, tilted towards him and let out a cheerful whistle. 

He didn’t wave at the diplomats walking to a meeting, instead shrinking in his chair and gripping the arms. He heard one of them harrumph behind him, “Nothing like his father; so sullen and unfriendly. He’s nicer to the robot help than to his future subjects.”

“Blame the accident,” the other answered. “After all, he’s as much robot as boy, so I’m told.”

Noctis cringed, but schooled his features as Gladio summoned the elevator. 

Regis met Noctis at the door to the breakfast nook, a smaller room with bright windows and a table just big enough for the two of them. After Noctis' injury, Regis had wanted to be closer to Noctis - making more time to spend with him every day, meeting with his doctors and tutors after their respective sessions. He tried to take an interest in more of Noctis’ hobbies (and Noctis couldn’t believe how good he was at Galaga), and even making small changes, like having their private meals at a table for two instead of the dining hall. Regis was still as busy as any King rebuilding his nation could be expected to be, but Noctis knew he was doing his best. He smiled and met Noctis on one knee as Gladio steered his chair to the door.

“Good morning, son.” Regis patted his hand on the arm of the chair. “How are you doing?”

“I’d be better if you let me walk,” Noctis sighed, slumping deeper into the chair. Regis’ mouth worked for a moment, his smile tested, before standing and holding a hand out to Noctis.

“Out of an abundance of caution, my boy." Regis smiled, but it was tight and uncomfortable. "You have an adjustment next week, and after that, you'll be back on your feet."

"In physical therapy," Noctis mumbled ruefully as he wheeled past his father to the breakfast nook. 

He could see the lights on Gladio and his dad's CL4R-U5, a little black box about the size of a small fist clipped to the belt on his father's dressing gown, flashing. They were saying good morning, too, he thought.

He and his dad ate together and made small talk. It was easy to forget he was a king when he was in his dressing gown and spearing strawberries off of his pancakes to put them on Noctis' plate. However, it was when an automaton on treads rolled in to retrieve their plates and King Regis sat forward that Noctis was reminded: “I trust you’ll pay attention in lessons today?” He put his shoulders back and looked down at Noctis, taking on a kingly mien; kind, but stern, with high expectations. Noctis sharply nodded.

“Yes, Dad.”

“Also, this afternoon, I’d like you to take your U5 unit down to the robotics repair office for software upgrades.”

Noctis pulled a face. “Okay.” 

Regis smiled fondly and riffed his fingers in Noctis’ messy hair. “Chin up, alright? It’s only another week before the adjustment. I do have some good news for you.” He leaned forward, almost conspiratorially. “Queen Sylva called. She said she’ll be sending Lunafreya to visit next week while you’re recuperating. She'll be staying for a good few weeks, too.” Noctis’ eyes widened, and Regis laughed. “There’s a smile!” Noctis blushed and turned his face away. 

“She’s my only friend, and it’s been so long. It sucks that she can’t visit more.”

“I know.” Regis smiled sympathetically. “But she’ll be here soon, and I’m here for you.”

Noctis glanced at his dad’s earnest expression, and nodded. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Love you, son.” He let Noctis wheel himself to the door and held it open for him. 

They went their separate ways after that. Noctis knew he’d probably have dinner with him, and maybe then they would play some board games together after dinner, unless Regis got an important phone call or had another meeting or something like that. There seemed to be some good reason for Dad to be busy half the time, but Noctis was satisfied that he was trying, at least.

“Come on, Gladio. I have to go for lessons.” He directed his chair to the meeting room he used as a classroom to wait for his tutor, and another long, lonely day. Gladio chirped and whistled from its mount in the back of his chair.

“We’ll have a productive day.”

Noctis sighed, and rolled on.

* * *

The robotics repair office was one of Noctis’ favorite and least favorite places. He liked going and looking around at the androids waiting for repair, and he would usually roll his way past the shelves and quietly greet the androids he recognized from around the castle. The ones who were still online would often greet him in return. He tried to make an excuse to go down there when he could, just to make sure they weren’t too lonely down there waiting their turn.

There was one particular android in the corner Noctis always made a point of going to visit. “Hello, SCI-1-7-N15.” This droid was humanoid, as tall as a fully grown human, and was currently seated in a broken wheeled swivel chair, with cracks in its chassis and significant damage to the motherboard beneath. It had been his grandfather’s protocol droid once upon a time, and had contently watched him when he was very small. For about two years, he’d seen more of this droid than his father, the green lights on its facial analogue like kindly eyes and a consistent, even, gentle voice tutting him this way and that to keep him out of trouble, out of the way, and safe while never making him feel stupid. Noctis had just called him “Iz,” because he hadn’t learned to read numbers but still latched onto the last two numbers imprinted on its chestplate, and Regis had agreeably named the android “Ignis,” saying it was a proper name for a proper gentleman. 

Then, the war came to Insomnia and the Citadel was under attack, and his grandfather left most of the droids there, deactivated, as shadows in their windows. Noctis remembered being carted past the remains of the staff, and crying when he saw his personal nanny droid laid on the ground. He had begged his father not to throw him away, and perhaps because Noctis was already so badly injured after the attack, emotionally and physically frail, his father had too quickly agreed. 

Ignis was probably beyond repair. Noctis knew it, and hated it. Still, he came down when he could and tried to look at his pieces in vain hopes that he could repair his old friend, and maybe make him as good a companion as he remembered. It had been eight years now, and Noctis still missed him. 

It was his duty to visit, and Noctis still smiled when he dusted off his faceplate.

“There you are, Noct,” a sibilant voice purred behind him, and Noctis gripped the arms of his chair as a chill ran all the way up his spine.

The robotics department tech, his messy red hair tied in a sloppy ponytail, wearing a grease-stained tee-shirt with a grocery store logo and tattered denim pants, had scrolled up behind Noctis in his swivel chair and was sitting backwards, straddling the seatback. He smirked languidly at Noctis, fond but mischievous. “I’ve been expecting my favorite nephew to come calling.” 

“Good afternoon, Uncle Ardyn.” Noctis wheeled his chair around to face him. Uncle Ardyn was a gaunt man who looked to be around his dad’s age (though his dad had gone gray way too young). Uncle Ardyn looked little like either him or his father, or even old portraits of his mother, with high cheekbones and olive skin, and brown eyes that looked a little yellow in the light filtering in from the dusty office windows. Noctis wasn’t sure how they were actually related, because his dad didn’t have any brothers or sisters, nor had his mother, and his grandfather hadn’t, either, and from what he could recall of the family tree, there hadn’t really been any branches for a while. Still, when Regis had introduced them when they’d returned to the Citadel after the Armistice, he’d told Noctis to call him Uncle Ardyn, and to treat him as an Uncle. 

He still kind of wished Ardyn wouldn’t call him Noct. Only his dad and Luna called him that, but Noctis couldn’t bring himself to say anything to him, still nervous around him after five years. Dad called Ardyn an ‘eccentric,’ who was happy to live in the basement repairing the androids all day and indeed preferred to be on his own down there with all the husks of broken robots.

“I trust you brought Gladio with you for his upgrades?” Ardyn spun the chair about and smoothly pivoted himself with it, sitting properly and facing forward in the chair when he landed. “May I see?” He extended a long, knobbly-fingered hand, and Noctis winced, but tapped the chair.

“Gladio, could you come out for upgrades please?”

Gladio obediently lifted himself from his cradle on his hover jet and propelled himself over to Noctis. Noctis took hold of his sides and extended him to Ardyn, who gingerly accepted him, then kicked back on his chair to scroll over to the cluttered desk. He set Gladio down on a port and plugged him in using one of the myriad wires already on the desk. 

“Hello, friend,” he said to Gladio as he opened a side port and connected him to a sophisticated, sleek black PC, then typed in a few quick commands. “No worries, merely a security update. Firewalls, and a virus scanner. Looks like there’s an update to the U5 verbal library, too.”

“Thank you.” Gladio’s vocals were a little garbled behind the faint whir of his radiator fan. Arydn chuckled and dusted his vent. 

“Thank _you,_ little friend, for your kind service to our darling prince.” He rolled his way back to Noctis’ chair. “Is he working well for you?”

“Yeah.” Noctis nodded, avoiding Ardyn’s intent stare and swinging his feet. “Um, I noticed something. You call all the 'droids and 'bots ‘he’ or ‘she,’ depending.”

Ardyn’s eyes gleamed. “Why, so I do. Occasionally ‘they,’ if they’re rather in the middle or if I can’t decide. It’s strange; to me, they’re alive, and usually things that are alive don’t go by ‘it.’ Most of our androids have voices, or some way to communicate, so I simply must associate them with life, in some form.” 

“They’re alive, I think.” Noctis looked down at his feet. 

“I do agree.” Ardyn sat back in his chair. “You know what really makes them work, don’t you?”

“Luna told me.”

“Luna?” Ardyn's eyes flashed, mouth spreading in a broad smile.

Noctis winced, remembering himself. “L-lady Lunafreya.”

“Ah, that’s right; the young inheritor to the line of the Oracle. I forget how familiar you are with her.” Ardyn tapped his lip in thought. “What did she tell you?”

“The Crystal.” Noctis fidgeted with the arms of his chair. “She said that the Crystal’s magic is needed to make them work. It’s, um, it’s Magi-tek, ‘cause the Crystal’s magic powers everything, and we just have the computer programming to tell ‘em what to do.”

“That’s right.” Ardyn wagged a finger. “And the Crystal’s light keeps humans alive, too, don’t you know? It’s just not inside of us, like they put a little bit of the Crystal into every android, but every soul is tied to the Crystal. So, the androids are alive. We should treat them and respect them as if they were alive.” The PC emitted a shrill beep, and Ardyn clicked his tongue and rolled back over to his desk. “That’s why I like you, Noct. You’re nice to them.” He gingerly unplugged Gladio. “Good as new, young sir?”

“This unit is better than new.” Gladio’s voice somehow sounded more cheerful. 

“I had hoped you would say so.” Ardyn chuckled, and walked Gladio back over to Noctis. “Here you are. Bring him down if you notice any glitches, yes?”

“Yes, sir.” Noctis accepted Gladio. “You can sit in your cradle, if you want.” Gladio hovered right out of his hands and to his cradle in the back of the chair, and Ardyn stood back, his brows knit up.

“I see you’re confined to your chair for the time being?” He tutted softly. “Honestly, Regis, can’t a King get a more prompt doctor appointment for his only beloved son?”

“It’s not that.” Noctis shook his head. “I went to the doctor last week. I got taller, so I need an adjustment. They’re making the new prosthesis now.” 

“Is that what it is?” Ardyn frowned, then took his chair. “I’ve asked before, but I’ll ask again: would you object to showing me the injury? I’m a bit of a tinkerer, you see, perhaps-”

“No.” Noctis shook his head and rolled his chair backwards. “I don’t mind waiting for the doctor.”

Ardyn’s mouth formed a pout, but he lifted his hands in a shrug. “The decision is yours, of course.” He set his hands on his hips. “Now, I’ve asked this before as well, but it bears repeating: did you want to try your hand at examining dear Ignis there? Perhaps help me to improve him? I saw you looking again.”

Noctis winced. When Noctis was in better health and a better mood, he would sometimes look at the robots Ardyn was repairing, watching him solder loose connections, replacing broken parts, and examining corrupted programming on his PC. Noctis liked working on the ‘droids. He felt like he got along better with them than most humans.

Most humans wanted something from him, expected him to be different than he was, or put him on a pedestal because he was the Prince. The androids didn’t care about any of that. Noctis thought he owed it to them to treat them well. 

Still, he hated working on them while trapped in his chair. He couldn’t really lean in and see their workings, or reach across some of the broader frames to reach. He couldn’t scoot in and examine the code line by line without making the text huge, and it was just more of a hassle overall. He hated hassle, either to him, or being one to others. 

“I don’t want to hurt him,” Noctis mumbled.

“You won’t hurt him. Promise.” Ardyn patted on Ignis’ casing. “He’s about as bad as can be. I’d love to fix him up, but I would appreciate a bit of help. How about it?” He winked at Noctis. “You can be a tinkerer, too.”

Noctis shook his head and turned his chair. “Some other time.”

Ardyn hummed with obvious consideration, making Noctis shiver again. Even so, he rolled onwards, still gripping the sides of his chair. 

* * *

“Do you ever wish you were more alive?”

It was an absent-minded question, really, but it interrupted his late-night Dissentia session, Noctis flipping the triggers on his controller with Gladio controlling the AI opponent. As random a thought as it was, he meant it. Gladio, still in his cradle, entered a combo that Noctis struggled to counter, but Noctis pulled off a throw and paused the game. “Do you?”

“This unit is not certain what you mean.” Gladio’s vocals were as even and measured as ever, but Noctis thought he was imagining some curiosity.

“Well, like Uncle Ardyn said earlier.” Noctis put his controller aside and reached behind him to touch Gladio’s smooth plastic casing. “Do you want to be more alive?”

Gladio’s cooling fan whirred rather loudly. Then, Gladio said, “This unit doesn’t know if it wants anything.”

“What’s your purpose?” Noctis turned to sit on his knees, though it put pressure on his aching spine. 

Gladio didn’t hesitate. “To assist you with whatever you need. U5 units are designed to attend to their assigned partner’s well-being. This includes reminding you of physical needs or daily schedule, seeing to entertainment, as well as-”

“Would you like to do your job better?” Noctis peered down at him, as Gladio rocked up in the cradle and tilted his lens towards Noctis’ face.

“Is this unit performing inadequately?” It sounded like a challenge. Noctis liked that.

“I didn’t say that. Only that I think maybe I could make you better.” He picked Gladio up like one would a docile guinea pig, and held him in front of him. Gladio made no struggle. “Maybe I could upgrade you or customize you a little?” 

Gladio didn’t respond for a moment, and Noctis imagined him calculating. Finally, his voice emitter buzzed out: “This unit would not object.” 

“Okay.” Noctis put him back down. “Maybe. Maybe after my surgery. I can ask Uncle Ardyn about it.” With that, he picked up his controller again and continued to play.

But he didn’t stop thinking about it. 

* * *

Noctis was an android, too. That was how he thought of it. Ever since the accident they’d gotten into running from the attack on the Citadel when Noctis was young, Noctis had been made into an android. He didn’t remember the accident anymore - Regis actually seemed relieved - but Noctis knew that whatever it was, it had been awful. Most of his lower spine had been damaged beyond repair, and his pelvis had been shattered. Regis had hurried him to hospital, not caring for the war or his own deceased father, and summoned in the best people who would come to Lucis at the time.

The best solution ended up being replacing Noctis’ destroyed spine and part of his hipbones. Noctis’ lower spine was replaced with robotic elements, wired through into his nervous system. It bent and moved with him, but the trouble was that it didn’t grow. As the rest of him grew around the prosthesis, he would feel the metal begin to pull at his bones, and would have to have pieces replaced. He hated the adjustments. He hated having to have them, waiting for them, the feeling of becoming accustomed to new parts of himself until he could get used to them.

But they were part of him.

_As much robot as boy,_ people said. They were right. 

Noctis wasn’t even upset about it anymore. 

Gladio helped tend to his wounds as he recovered in his own bed the next day. Gladio could scan the bandages for heat signatures and advise the nurses where Noctis needed gentler care. Then, Gladio brought Noctis his chair. 

“Lady Lunafreya called,” Gladio informed him as the nurses departed, whispering to one another as Noctis pushed himself to his hands and knees. “She wanted to know if you are feeling well enough to see her.”

Noctis sucked his lower lip in, then crawled to the edge of the bed. “Y-yeah.” He wouldn’t feel any better than he was now, and seeing Lunafreya would be a relief. 

Gladio mounted himself in his cradle. “I’ll summon a driver to take you to her and inform your father you’re going visiting.”

“Thanks, Gladio,” he mumbled, and hunched over in his chair, still aching as Gladio steered him to the garage.

Lady Lunafreya stayed at the home of an old friend of King Regis’, a modest, unassuming house among many others, next to a garage. The garage was the Insomnia Hammerhead branch, which Cid had opened up when Regis had convinced him to at least slow down a little. Cid’s only son left Insomnia every day to go take care of business at the main Hammerhead garage, and Cid ran the quieter branch in this suburb of the city. The nondescript home also conveniently made a peaceful refuge for Regis to escape the Citadel for an hour of peace, and for Noctis to visit with his dear friend.

The driver stopped at the door and left Noctis with a single guard for security detail, and told Noctis to simply call him when he was ready to go. He stood back and let Noctis knock on the door for himself. 

Cid answered, frowning down at Noctis where he sat at the door. “Good to see you, boy. Heard you just got a tune-up, you sure you good to be roaming around like this?”

“M’fine, Mr. Cid.” Noctis bowed his head, but Cid clicked his tongue, then fluffed his hair. 

“I don’t believe you, but who am I to boss around the Crown Prince?” He stood aside. “Go on, now, the girls’re waitin’ for you in the garage.”

Cid’s house wasn’t exactly wheelchair-friendly, but Cid was a step ahead of him, putting down a ramp so he could roll down into the garage. “Ladies, he’s all yours!” Cid announced ahead of Noctis, and Noctis cracked a smile. He was much more used to being introduced as “His Royal Highness, Noctis Lucis Caelum” when he entered a room. He liked that Cid remembered he was just a boy coming to visit his best friend. Cid moved out of the way just in time for two thin arms to wrap around his shoulders, and Noctis grinned as Luna hugged him in his chair. 

“Noct, it’s so good to see you!” She released him, beaming, and Noctis couldn’t help but smile back. Luna was seventeen and so pretty, her hair loose around her shoulders, wearing a white blouse and a silk skirt that didn’t seem suitable for a day in the garage. Her two dogs - Umbra and Pryna, her Messengers - bounded around her ankles, barking excitedly at Noctis, and she took his hands and took a knee in front of him. “I’m glad you were able to come today!”

“Me too,” Noctis replied, rapt as he stared at her. Even a few months apart was too long for him. He almost missed the laughter from behind him, and flinched when he remembered they weren’t alone. 

Cid’s granddaughter, Cindy, was sitting on a crate in front of a partially assembled motor, swinging her legs and giggling. She was clearly aiming to chase her father and grandfather’s footsteps, and spent her leisure time looking over her grandfather’s shoulder and picking away at old engines, trying to see if she could get them to run again. Noctis knew she was nice enough, but he couldn’t help but shrink in front of her, especially when she hopped off the crate and bounded towards him. “It’s true, Prince Noctis don’t light up like that ‘cept around Lady Lu.” 

There was a hand on his shoulder, and Noctis startled and whipped around to see Aranea, a woman a few years older than Lunafreya, bold and with a vicious smile. She was dressed casually, black skinny jeans and a cropped top, but Noctis knew she was Lady Lunafreya’s personal bodyguard, anointed by King Regis personally in the aftermath of the war, and that she could extend a hand and summon a spear at any moment. However, that wasn’t the problem. 

“Aw, what’s the matter, little Prince?” She smirked at him. “You don’t have to be shy around your girlfriend, we know how it is.”

Noctis’ face burned with color as she leaned over him. “Not my girlfriend. Just a girl who’s a friend.”

“Really, ‘Nea,” Lunafreya chided, then turned back to Noctis. “How are you healing?”

“It still hurts a lot.” He didn’t dare raise his voice above a mumble, not in front of Aranea and Cindy. “I know it’ll be better soon, but…”

“It’s not very much fun right now, is it?” Lunafreya smiled sympathetically, then took both of his hands. “Hopefully you’ll stop growing soon, that way you won’t have to worry about having adjustments nearly as often.”

“Paw-paw said that when he hits a growth spurt,” Cindy contributed, nonchalant and rocking on her heels, “he’ll prob’ly need a full-on replacement. Ain’t that wild?”

Noctis shuddered, and Lunafreya frowned, her fingers squeezing Noctis’. “He can worry about that when it happens.”

“Well, hopefully it happens soon,” Aranea remarked, eyeing Noctis from above (and he hated how tall she was, how she always loomed over him). “You wouldn’t mind being big and tall, eh?”

Noctis didn’t answer her. Lunafreya did. “Be nice.” Lunafreya stood, putting her hands on her hips. “He’s recovering.”

“He can shoot back when he wants to.” Aranea put her hands up. “But fine, since he’s fresh out from the knife, I’ll give him a reprieve for today.” She winked at Noctis, then stepped aside as Lunafreya circled to the back of his chair. 

“There’s something I want to show you. Do you mind if I push you?”

“It’s okay.” Noctis knew Lunafreya knew he could roll himself, and Gladio could move the chair too, but Lunafreya had been the first one to help push him in his chair when he’d first had the surgery, before he could push himself, before his chair had been automated. It was symbolic, in a way, of their relationship. When he’d first been injured, she’d wanted to “do something” for him. She could push his chair at the time, so sometimes, she still did. Lunafreya wheeled him over to the table Cindy had been sitting on, and Cindy and Aranea followed.

“I see you have a new U5 unit.”

“Dad said this one was made for young people,” Noctis mumbled. “His name is Gladio.”

“Gladio?” Lunafreya knelt by him. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. You may call me Luna.”

“This unit is comparably pleased to meet you,” Gladio responded in his usual even tones. “Noctis has been eager for your rendezvous.”

“Rendezvous, goodness. You must have just had your libraries updated.” Lunafreya giggled and parked Noctis’ chair near the workbench, most of which was covered with a large white sheet. “How fares Master Izunia?”

“Uncle Ardyn’s been fine.” Lunafreya spoke of Ardyn differently - with a certain reverence and caution. He wondered if she’d known him before he’d come to Insomnia, but he’d never asked. “Um, did you want to talk to him?”

Lunafreya coyly lifted her shoulders. “Perhaps.” 

Noctis raised an eyebrow as Lunafreya circled the workbench, avoiding his eyes. “We may need his expertise. I, er, got you something of a present.” 

Cindy giggled. “This is gonna be somethin’.”

Noctis frowned, but looked at Lunafreya across the table, as she bit her lip and fidgeted. “Er. It’s nothing big, but… well.” She cleared her throat. “You always sound so lonely in your letters, and I can’t visit nearly as often as I’d liked. I had thought, perhaps you could use a friend.” 

Noctis raised his eyebrows. “I have you,” he murmured. “It’s okay.” He didn’t care that she didn’t visit enough, that he was alone more than anything. He didn’t mind being around the androids all day. They were at least programmed to be nice to him. Lunafreya, however, shook her head. 

“I wish that knowing I’ll come back to you when Mother permits it satisfied my concerns, but I fear it doesn’t. I’m sorry, Noct. But I thought of something that might at least help.” She pulled the sheet back, revealing what looked like - 

“MT!” Noctis shouted, and scooted the wheels of his chair back as quickly as he could, until Aranea put her foot behind his wheel.

“Don’t freak out, it’s non-operative.”

“It’s quite broken,” Lunafreya assured him quickly, and lifted a limp arm. MTs were human-sized and shaped, though this one looked smaller than the ones Noctis remembered seeing during the war. Its face, a blank mask, was empty, hollow eye sockets and slack mechanical mouth. It had lost the back of its headpiece - what would have been covered by a hood-like helmet was now exposed wires, chips and casings. “Aranea discovered this when her unit was helping to break down a Gralean base near the capital, what looks like an experimental model. It looks like this one was meant to be smaller, perhaps so it could blend into a crowd easier.” She turned its hand over, benting its limp joints. “It has some of the MT programming, but not all of it.” 

“With a little know-how, I bet we could take the rest of it out, write over it.” Cindy grinned. “Aranea brought him to Paw-paw, but I could do a lot of the cosmetic stuff myself.”

“They wanted to make it into another bodyguard for me.” Lunafreya put the MT’s arm down. “But I suggested we gift it to you. Lucis doesn’t make android soldiers.”

“Yeah, Dad would never let me keep it.”

“It won’t be a soldier anymore,” Lunafreya whispered. “This one deserves better, don't you think? We could make it into a companion.”

Noctis’ eyes widened. “But - aren’t companion ‘droids-”

“Usually just for adults, yeah,” Aranea snickered. “But we could leave out those parts of the programming.”

Noctis blushed a little. “So, what could it do?”

“Whatever you like.” Lunafreya beamed, leaning over the table on tiptoes. “We could make it look human, it wouldn’t be hard to put silicon casings on it and modify the faceplace. You could have it play video games with you! It could go to lessons with you and learn with you! He could be at your side, forever!”

Noctis was about to protest, but then he thought about it. It would be a ‘droid, and he got on better with droids than most people. Maybe, if he could make it as lifelike as possible, he could actually make a friend.

“What do we need to do?”

“The real trick,” Lunafreya said, and pressed on the side of its chestplate, “is this.” She pointed to a black stone, embedded in a gold setting like a jewel in a necklace, set in the center of the chest. Its battery. “This used to run on Magitek energy.” 

“But it won’t turn on without the old Magitek generators.” Aranea crossed her arms, tapping her elbow with an index finger. “The commercial ‘droid companies have Crystal fragments they can use to power up a battery, but we have something better.”

“More specifically, you do.” Lunafreya held the core of the battery out to Noctis. “If you take it to the Crystal, you could charge it directly. Moreover, I suspect that if you personally charge it, given your family’s connection to the Crystal, it may give the resulting android a little extra juice.” Noctis took the core from Lunafreya and examined it. It was cold in his palm, nothing like Gladio’s warm body. 

“I can try,” he said softly, and put it in a side bag attached to his wheelchair. Lunafreya beamed, then got out a small stack of books from under the desk. 

“Let’s see what we can order to improve him, too!”

The four of them huddled around the workbench, flipping through the catalogues for customizing a companion ‘droid. He could choose the silicone casing in every color under the sun, natural skin tones or even more adventurous things, ocular implants, custom gel shaping to change the frame, faceplates of all sorts. Noctis tried to think of what he would want his best friend to look like, barely even noticing that every choice he made was a little bit like Lunafreya.

* * *

Noctis wasn’t really allowed to mess with the Crystal.

Dad wore a special ring, the Ring of Lucis, that allowed him to draw its power, to grant it to others and allow them to use its magic. He could use the Ring to remove small pieces of the Crystal to enhance the city’s magical defensive wall, or send to the power plant that kept all the lights on. Somehow, the Crystal always grew back. However, Dad said the Crystal drew from him whatever he drew from it. Sometimes, Dad had deep circles under his eyes after granting his powers to new Glaives, and his hair seemed to get more grey every time he took more from the Crystal. Dad had said that the Ring helped him channel the Crystal’s magic, and Noctis wasn’t ready to use it. “When you’re a man, and when you’re King.” 

Noctis decided, then, he didn’t want to use the Crystal. 

Instead, he had learned how the people who made robotics made the cores. They were made out of a special reflective sort of glass that mimicked the Crystal, and when exposed to the Crystal, they could absorb some of its energy. They glowed with its blue light when they were filled with its power. If a core was ever damaged and lost its power, it could be buffed and repaired and filled with power again, good as new.

It should work the same way with the actual Crystal, right?

Noctis wheeled his way into the Crystal’s chamber, manually pushing the chair forward to avoid making any noise. The door was unlocked - most people had no reason to enter the room, and the Crystal couldn’t be touched directly, so stealing it was basically impossible - but Noctis worried his Dad wouldn’t approve if he caught him alone in the room. He didn’t want to get caught or stopped. 

The little core in his hand was so cold. 

Noctis wheeled up close to the Crystal, its blue light warm on his face and legs. He brought the core out, rubbed his thumb over the surface, then held it up to the light. 

“Please,” he whispered, as if it were a magic word, like it might cast the spell to cure his ailments.

He wanted a friend. If this core could possibly hold a friend for him, then there was nothing he wanted more.

In a flash, the core lit up bright blue, shining brighter than the sun in his hands. He gasped softly to himself, the light bright enough to blind him for a moment, the sudden heat like a raw flame in his palms, but it wasn’t hot enough to burn, and the sudden light dimmed to a pulsing glow. It was like holding a star plucked from the sky. Noctis held it close, feeling that same warmth like a brand on his heart. 

It was alive. Now, he had to give it a body to live in.

* * *

Noctis mustered all his courage, breathing deep as he stared at the interpersonal com UI on a screen concealed on Gladio’s back. There were call buttons for a few of the most important offices in the Citadel that Noctis might need to contact. He gathered himself and hit the call for the robotics repair office, then held his breath.

Uncle Ardyn picked up in an instant. _“Good morning, Noct. Trouble with one of the ‘droids?”_

“Not. Not exactly.” Noctis shook his head as if Ardyn could see him. “I wanted to ask. Luna and Cindy found a ‘droid. They wanted some help programming it. Do you think you might be able to take some time today to help us out?”

There was an inordinately long pause. Noctis held his breath again.

Then, _“Why Noct, I’m truly touched. I’ve got ages of paid-time-off I’ve had no cause to use, I won’t be missed for a few days. I’ll send security a quick email and away we’ll go. Shall I meet you at the garage? I could drive you myself, if you’d like.”_

“That’d be okay,” Noctis blurted quickly. “Thank you so much.” Then he hung up, and finally could breathe again.

True to his word, Ardyn met Noctis at the garage, wearing his usual old jeans and a faded tee with a black leather trenchcoat and a jaunty fedora, carrying a suitcase. He bowed, then walked alongside Noctis' chair to the cars. Noctis’ wheelchair didn’t fit in Ardyn’s little red coupe, but he borrowed one of the Citadel vans and helped load it in, and drove Noctis over. He listened to old music in the car, humming and tapping the wheel as they drove. He asked Noctis a few probing questions:

“They found it, you said? Did they say where?”

“Old Niff base,” Noctis mumbled, hunched in his seat.

“Really? The work of Lady Nox Fleuret’s personal mercenary, I presume.” He chuckled. “And whatever will you do with it when you finish tinkering?”

“Dunno.” Noctis felt the core, warm in his side pocket. “See what the ‘droid is like.”

“It could be whatever you program it to be, you know.” Ardyn nudged Noctis’ shoulder with his elbow. “Is there something you need, little Prince?”

Noctis shrank down. “Dunno.”

Ardyn hummed, a thin, reedy half-laugh, then drove on. "Well, let's find out what we're looking at."

Cid opened the door at Ardyn's knock, but instead of preparing the ramp for Noctis' chair, he stood in the door and folded his arms and stared Ardyn down, from his dull leather shoes to his suitcase to the hat cocked on his head. "I didn't know they let you out of the dungeon."

Ardyn laughed warmly, an eerie contrast with Cid's icy stare. "Why, Mr. Sophiar, it's got an open-door policy." He put his hand on his heart. "Fret not; I was invited by His Highness, and His Majesty knows where I am and who I am with." 

Cid looked to Noctis, brow furrowed. "Invited?"

Noctis nodded, but kept his head low. "He's helping with the 'droid me and Luna and Cindy are tinkering with." None of Dad's friends liked Uncle Ardyn, speaking about him in low, angry voices whenever Noctis heard any of them discussing him with his dad, and going silent if they noticed Noctis listening. It was strange; Uncle Ardyn was weird, to be sure, but what had he done to be spoken about like that?

Noctis knew he wouldn't get an answer today, as Cid gave a gruff noise and moved aside. "No monkey business, and be careful with my tools." 

Ardyn walked beside Noctis until they reached the garage, where he walked ahead and took a low bow before Lunafreya. "Lady Lunafreya, it is a pleasure, as always."

Aranea stiffened at Ardyn's presence, though Cindy seemed more interested than anything, and Lunafreya curtsied. "Master Izunia, the pleasure is mine. Did Noctis discuss the specifics of the project with you?"

"I fear our dear Prince was a bit skint on details," Ardyn chuckled, "but I admit I prefer to assess such things myself anyway. Won't you show me?"

"The table, in the corner." Lunafreya motioned, then circled past Ardyn to Noctis. "Good morning, dear Noctis." Her eyes glimmered as she knelt in front of him. "Did you bring it?"

"Uh-huh." Noctis opened the side bag on his wheelchair and showed her the core. She gazed into its gleaming light for a moment, the blue reflecting in her deeper blue eyes.

"It shines so brightly," she whispered. "Let's go make something special of it." 

She took Noctis to the table, where Ardyn had already removed the sheet. His lips were pursed, cheeks sucked in, and he had a strange, faraway look in his eyes, though his gaze was turned towards the broken MT.

"Ah," he said after a moment. "I see." He carefully flipped the chestplate open. "And the core?"

"Here." Lunafreya held the core out to Ardyn. He didn't take it, but merely smiled wistfully.

"Touched by the Crystal's light now. I see." He lifted his face towards Noctis and Lunafreya. "Let's give this fellow a fine refurbishment. What shall we make him into?"

"A companion." Lunafreya spoke surely, actually looking Ardyn in the eyes. "A friend for Noctis."

Ardyn cracked his knuckles, then put his suitcase on the table. "Then we've work to do."

Ardyn's suitcase contained his laptop and some assorted wiring and a tool kit. As Cindy and Lunafreya gathered materials from around the garage, Noctis watched as Ardyn connected into the 'droid's mainframe and began to review its programming. 

"Plug the core in, Milady. I'll not get any decent data on auxiliary power." 

Lunafreya returned to the table, but handed the core to Noctis.

"You should have the honors," she told him, and stepped back. Noctis sucked his lower lip in, then leaned out of his chair and pressed the core back into place in the MT's battery. The MT lit up blue in a few indicators on its chest and neck, and its empty eyes shone with that same light. Ardyn smirked.

"Now, isn't that something? Usually, they're red."

Noctis remembered the gleaming red eyes of the MTs, and nodded. The blue was more comforting, gentler. Familiar. Noctis officially wasn't frightened.

As Lunafreya, Cindy, and Noctis cleaned out the MT's rusty joints and tightened loose bolts, and Aranea joined in to repair loose wires and remove broken body casings from the arms and legs, as Ardyn reviewed the existing command libraries and programming.

“My, my, you must have been interesting places,” he said, as much to the MT as to himself. “Now, whatever is this?” 

“What’s what?” Noctis was scrubbing rust out of the wrist joint with a stiff brush, and Ardyn moved over to him with his laptop and pointed at a strange line of code - black blocks, indicating that the characters didn’t exist in the command UI’s font. 

“These strange symbols. I’ve tried converting them into every font that exists, but there are simply no equivalents to this in any Lucian, Gralean, or other coding language.” Ardyn’s eyes were alight with curiosity. “This is unique. I’ve never seen this before - but then again, I’ve never worked with a core powered by the Crystal itself.”

Noctis inhaled sharply. “How did you-”

“Noct, dear boy.” Ardyn chuckled and tweaked his ear. “It’s as obvious as can be. Worry not, I’ll not tell your father until you’re ready to tell him of this experiment yourself.” He winked and moved to put his laptop back on the empty space on the table. “Our little secret. One tinkerer to another.”

Noctis smiled, and continued to scrub out the MT’s joints. 

Over the next few weeks, Cindy machined replacement plating for the MT’s limbs, and as the custom-ordered parts arrived to outfit the ‘droid with its new silicon casing, Aranea showed Noctis how to fit it properly.

“I outfitted my co-pilots with human faces and arms,” she explained. “My navigator unit, W-34-G, and my autopilot assistant, B1GZ. They’ve got limited mobility, but it’s nice not to be alone in the cockpit on longer hauls, so to speak.” 

Lunafreya surprised Noctis with a new voice modulator for the MT, as well, which Ardyn and Cindy were able to install, and Ardyn added a program with a wide variety of vocal intonations. Noctis couldn’t choose one, but Ardyn suggested:

“Let the computer pick.” He put in a command, and one of the voices was selected at random. “Try it. If you truly loathe it, you can change it.”

Somehow, Noctis didn’t want to. If this was going to be his friend, he wanted his friend to choose what they were like, at least a little.

Ardyn’s programming was masterful. Noctis had only ever seen him do security upgrades, patches, and minor updates to vocal libraries. Set loose, code poured from Ardyn’s fingers like oil from a freshly tapped well. He would tell Noctis what he was working on, showed him some of the basics, showed him some of his sources, ideas and command libraries he’d built on his own time.

“I’ve had years to learn all this, and scant few opportunities to use it all. This is fun for me.” Ardyn grinned, rubbing his stubble as he continued to type with one hand. “It’s all functioning beautifully in simulations, every time I turn it on it wants to do everything I tell it to do.” He grinned and turned the screen to Noctis. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? The things we can tell them to do. What I’m really curious about is what we’re not telling them to do.” 

Ardyn installed some of the AI directives he’d experimented with - modified versions of the MT programming that enabled them to take orders, yes, but also algorithms that had been used to detect patterns in human behavior and to respond based on it. 

“Y’all gonna teach this thing to make memes?” Cindy laughed as Ardyn tried to explain it, and he wrinkled his brow.

“Beg pardon, Miss Aurum?”

“Like on Kwekher.” She pulled out her phone from the back pocket of her shorts, then showed off a picture with some text on it. “Some of them algorithm bots have learned online behavior and imitate it with some pretty crazy things!” Ardyn still appeared quizzical, so Cindy spoke a little slower and tried again: “They AI on the web learned to make jokes, see?”

“Ah, jokes for the modern generation.” Ardyn smiled wryly. “Perhaps I’m a tad old for these sorts of things, but then again, it’s not made for me, is it? I’d be pleased as punch if His Highness’s new friend could make him laugh.” 

Lunafreya was very attentive to the android’s appearance. She loved art - her letters to him were always full of little doodles and sketches - so it was no surprise she, too, cared about what the finished ‘droid looked like. She was always fussing with the skin and hair, combing out the eyelashes she’d painstakingly installed on the faceplate, toying with the hair. She also had taken up the eye inserts and carefully disassembled them, removing the glass irises from around the ocular cameras and taking them to a side table to hand-paint the details.

“The factory eyes for these companions are always so flat,” she remarked sadly as she brought out a set of glass paints. “I had a nanny companion as a small child. The eyes always made me nervous. They were so dull.” The eyes Noctis had picked out were a sylleblossom blue, but when Lunafreya held one up to the light, Noctis could see what she meant. They didn’t catch light. “I’ll paint some highlights in, to make them a little bit more reflective.” Noctis observed as she painted in little accents of purple and bright blue, then just a few tiny starspots of white. Lunafreya put them back into the casings and demonstrated how the different panels shifted when the camera focused and drew back, making the eyes a kaleidoscope of brilliant blue that shone. “Much prettier, don’t you think?”

When the skin was on the limbs and face, when the MT now looked like a sleeping young man under the blanket, Lunafreya began to detail him with a little clay sculpting kit. The silicon had filled in the hollows on the faceplate, but Lunafreya used a hair dryer to warm the silicon, then gently dragged in laugh lines and dimples, little furrows in the brow. She shaped the nose to have an arcing slope and a snub end, and shaped the Cupid’s bow on the upper lip. He had a soft-looking, cute face, its eyes were large and deep-set with faint little lines under the hollows. Noctis liked it a lot. Whatever her vision was, it more than met expectations.

Then, she did something he didn’t expect - before she and Cindy sealed the silicon in place, she got a bit of rich brown paint and dotted his skin with a random flecking of freckles, over his cheeks, a few on his neck, down his shoulders and arms, and even a few on his thighs and lower legs. “He’ll be unique,” Lunafreya declared as she added just a few more freckles on his nose. “He should be.”

The ‘droid took weeks to restore completely. Noctis came to work on it every day he was allowed, between lessons, physical therapy, and the time he got to spend with his dad, usually with Ardyn as his personal escort and driver. By the time the work was done, Noctis was able to move without his wheelchair - not walking normally, but at least on his feet most of the day. It made it easier to do the final examination, circling the table to flex all of the 'droid's joints and observe the command motion tests Ardyn ran. When all was said and done, Cindy, Aranea, and Lunafreya dressed the droid in clothing that was breathable and heat-proof, things that could withstand the heat of the core and the CPU, and Noctis brought him a pair of canvas shoes from the back of his closet. Dressed, he appeared to be a young man, maybe a little older than Noctis, maybe about the same. Lunafreya, Cindy, and Aranea stood around the table, with Gladio left sitting in the corner to observe Noctis. Noctis, meanwhile, stood at the head of the table and watched the ‘droid’s slack expression, very much like he was sleeping, as Ardyn input the last few commands. 

“Noctis, I’m preparing to put him into operation. Are you ready?” 

Noctis circled around to the computer and saw that Ardyn had the manual companion android UI back at the default screen, and there were only a few simple commands open. One of them simply said “Initiate,” and Ardyn sat back from the laptop screen and gestured. “The honors, your Highness.”

Noctis sidled up next to Ardyn, his hand hovering over the keyboard. Ardyn smiled fondly at him, and Noctis returned it. “You can. Um. Call me Noct.”

“Noct, then.” Ardyn beamed, clearly pleased. “Go on. Let’s see how he does when fully operational.”

“Is he a ‘he?’” Noctis frowned a bit as he shifted in front of the laptop, and Ardyn shrugged.

“The MTs were all modeled after a certain man; I suppose even now, I can’t shake the association. He mostly looks male, anyway.” Ardyn toyed with a loose strand of the android’s hair. Noctis nodded.

“Yeah, I thought so too. But I guess we’ll see how he acts, right?” Noctis looked at the button, blue and gleaming on the screen. He closed his eyes, held his breath, and made a little wish:

_Please be my friend._

And then, he hit it. 

There was a faint whirring that grew and filled the room as everything poured into the android’s CPU was set into motion, and Noctis stood back as the lights came on, glowing bright through the silicon in his neck, and with a start, the android’s closed eyes flew open, and it sat up, looking around with confusion and bewilderment in its features. Noctis could so faintly hear the mechanisms in the faceplate working as the new gears twitched for the first time, confused and bewildered, like he’d fallen asleep somewhere and woke up in a place he didn’t know - and perhaps, to him, it was like he had. The android’s jaw hung slack, so like a human might, and he jerked his gaze around the room a few times, before turning and settling on Noctis. His oculars dilated and focused like real eyes might, and they looked so real. Still, he didn’t speak, and Ardyn finally did:

“Identify.”

The android’s oculars fully dilated, and it mechanically recited: “Zero-three-nine-five-three-two-three-four. Orders, please.”

Gladio shrieked and let out an alert, but Lunafreya quickly silenced him, making little hushing noises.

“It’s quite alright, it’s alright, little friend…” Noctis could still see Gladio’s indicators blinking angry red, despite Lunafreya’s comfort.

Meanwhile: “Whoops,” Ardyn murmured, frowning. “Old subroutine.” He opened a library. “Ah, that one’s essential. Noctis, do talk to him.” 

“No orders,” Noctis said immediately, stepping in. “You don’t have orders.”

The android blinked a few times, clearly confused by this. “No… orders?”

“No orders.” Noctis faced Ardyn. “What should I tell him?”

“Let’s start with a new identity.” Ardyn sat back. “That identity no longer applies. Noctis, talk to him, help him out.”

Noctis swallowed hard, not at all sure what to say. “Um. What’s your model number?”

The android cocked its head, then said, “PR-0-1000-T-0. Private Retinue, Generation 0, First Model, None Series, None Style, None Make, Terminator, None Identifier.”

“He was a test model,” Aranea muttered. “His series must not have been finished before the war hit. No wonder he looked so damn different.”

“PR-0…” Noctis squeezed his eyes shut. “Um. Can I call you Prompto?”

“Prompto,” the android repeated. “That… that’s a lot faster to say.” To Noctis’ surprise, his face shifted into a smile. “You’re sure it’s okay? That sounds a lot like a human identifier.”

“Perfect,” Ardyn purred softly, and Noctis nodded.

“Yeah! You’re, um, a companion ‘droid! But you can do whatever you want, okay?” He held out his hands. “Can I help you stand?”

“Uh.” Prompto seemed to notice his legs were sprawled on a table for the first time, and he chuckled nervously. “Oh, yeah. Thanks!” He took Noctis’ hands as Noctis helped him down, then stumbled back when Prompto landed in front of him.

“Oh, you’re heavy.”

Prompto gasped. “Ahh, I’m sorry!”

“Don’t be,” Lunafreya giggled, patting Prompto’s freckled arm. “You’re very solid.”

“Yeah,” Noctis added quickly. “I’m, um, just kind of weak.” He shrank a little. Prompto stood a few inches taller than him now, and Prompto shook his head.

“It’s okay! Um, I forgot - um - humans, identify?” He looked around, and Ardyn cackled.

“Oh, he’s perfect!”

“I’m Noctis,” Noctis said, pointing to his chest. “You can call me Noct. And that’s Luna-”

“I’m Cindy!” Cindy beamed and bounced up to him. “Ain’t you a delight?”

“Aranea.” She crossed her arms, as Prompto gazed between the four of them with excitement.

“Aranea, Cindy, Luna, Noct.” His smile stretched bigger and bigger. “Okay, got it! Wow, this is nice, I don’t think I’ve met anyone before!”

“You’re gonna do so much,” Noct whispered, heart rising in his throat. “Do you mind if I show you some cool stuff?”

“I think cool stuff… sounds… good.” Prompto nodded a few times, and Noctis could feel his hands shaking at his sides. “Will you show me?”

“He wants to learn,” Ardyn told him, as Prompto glanced back towards him, and Ardyn gave him a grin. “Isn’t that so? You’d love for Noctis to teach you a few things.” 

“I’d… I’d like that a lot,” Prompto said cautiously, and Noctis patted his arm.

“It’s okay. His name is Uncle Ardyn. He helped us fix you.”

“I’d be happy to help improve you in the future, too.” Ardyn took his hat off and put it to his chest, halfway to bowing in his chair. “However, you owe the bulk of the thanks to Noctis. He and I tinkered you into working order.”

“No, Luna and Cindy and - all of us,” Noctis insisted, squeezing Prompto’s hand. “But I’ll help take care of you from now on. I want you to be the happiest android you can be!”

“I can be happy?” Prompto’s eyes somehow lit up, like the Crystal Core in his chest was shining all the way through to his head and eyes, and Noctis had never more wanted to see an android actually happy. 

Then, Gladio’s communicator went off, and Noctis ran around and touched it. His father’s face appeared on the screen, all knit up with worry. _“Noct, I received an alert from my U5 unit indicating you may be in danger, is something wrong?”_

“Good afternoon, your Majesty.” Lunafreya sidled up to Noctis’ side. “Nothing at all is wrong here. We’ve just been working on a little project together.”

“Yeah,” Noctis nodded a few times, then moved and motioned to Prompto. “Um, Prompto, come meet my dad?” 

Prompto tottered his way over and peered onto Gladio’s screen. “Hello… My Dad?”

“You can call him King Regis or Your Majesty,” Lunafreya whispered to him with a giggle, taking his hand, as Regis, bewildered, blinked a few times, then laughed.

_“Is that a companion android? Goodness, Noctis, whatever have you and Ardyn been up to?”_

“You know.” Noctis grinned and put his arm around Prompto’s shoulder. “Tinkering.”

Prompto had a lot to learn and would need a lot of work, but Noctis already loved him more than he thought he could love most people. He would keep working on him with Ardyn’s help, and whenever Lunafreya visited, he would take Prompto to see him. He would take Prompto to his tutoring lessons, not to carry his books or take notes for him, but so he could learn too, writing the information into his algorithms so he could learn to understand the world. Noctis would keep tinkering with his programming, learn everything he could from Ardyn so he could find ways to make Prompto better, more human, as close to a real friend as any android could be. 

He would keep tinkering. After all, if he could make a broken MT into a friend, who knew what else he could do? 


End file.
